The present invention relates to a method of driving a flat discharge panel for displaying a picture, constructed of discharge display elements which exploit visible or ultraviolet radiation generated by a gas discharge.
A drive system for a gas-discharge panel with a memory function is described in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,099,096. FIG. 1 illustrates an example of another panel structure to which the present invention is applied. In the figure, numeral 1 designates an insulating substrate, numeral 2 a cathode lead, numeral 3 a cathode resistor, numeral 4 a cathode, numeral 5 a subsidiary anode, numeral 6 a subsidiary discharge space, numeral 7 a display discharge space, numeral 8 a phosphor, numeral 9 a display anode, and numeral 10 a light-transmissive faceplate.
The gas-discharge cells as shown in FIG. 1 are arrayed in the form of a matrix as illustrated in FIG. 2. Referring to FIG. 2, numeral 11 indicates a matrix panel, numeral 12 a display anode lead, numeral 15 a subsidiary anode lead, numeral 18 a display anode driver circuit, numeral 19 a cathode driver circuit, and numeral 20 a subsidiary anode driver circuit.
The outline of a method of driving the matrix panel shown in FIG. 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. In FIG. 3, symbols V.sub.K1, V.sub.K2 and V.sub.K3 denote the waveforms of voltages which are applied to the first, second and third cathode leads, respectively. Besides, symbols V.sub.A1, V.sub.A2 and V.sub.A3 denote the waveforms of voltages which are applied to the first, second and third display anode leads, respectively. Symbols V.sub.S1, V.sub.S2 and V.sub.S3 denote the waveforms of voltages which are applied to the first, second and third subsidiary anode leads, respectively.
When the voltages of the waveforms shown in FIG. 3 are applied to the panel, the display discharges of hatched discharge cells 13 within the 3.times.3-cell matrix panel shown in FIG. 4 turn "on." More specifically, when the individual cells are numbered as indicated in FIG. 4, the cells (1, 1), (1, 2) and (1, 3) are lit up at a time t.sub.7, the cells (1, 1), (1, 2), (1, 3) and (2, 2) at a time t.sub.8, and the cells (1, 1), (1, 2), (1, 3), (2, 2) and (3, 2) at times t.sub.9, t.sub.10 and t.sub.11.
The system of the above construction, however, is somewhat unstable in the display operation. That is, it is sometimes the case that the crosstalk between the adjacent discharge cells, for example, the cells (1, 1) and (1, 2) renders the lighting of one discharge cell (1, 2) unstable, so flickering appears on a display screen.